William Sylvester

Acting

January 31, 1922 – January 25, 1995 (died at 72)

Oakland, California, USA

Male

37 Movies

28 TV Shows

William Sylvester (January 31, 1922 – January 25, 1995) was an American TV and film actor. His most famous film credit was Dr. Heywood Floyd in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968). Born in Oakland, California and married at one time to the British actress Veronica Hurst, he moved to England after the Second World War and became a staple of British B films at a time when American and Canadian actors were much in demand in order to give indigenous films some appeal in the US. As a result, he gained top billing in one of his very first films, House of Blackmail (1953), directed by the veteran filmmaker Maurice Elvey, for whom he also made What Every Woman Wants the following year. He also starred in such minor films as The Stranger Came Home (1954, for Hammer), Dublin Nightmare (1958), Offbeat (1960), Information Received (1961), Incident at Midnight, Ring of Spies and Blind Corner (all 1963). There were also lead roles in four British horror films: Gorgo (1960), Devil Doll (1963), Devils of Darkness (1964) and The Hand of Night (1966). Among his many TV credits were a 1959 BBC version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (playing Mark Antony), The Saint, The Baron, The High Chaparral, Harry O and The Six Million Dollar Man. His later films included You Only Live Twice (1967) and, back in the USA after his prominent role for Kubrick, Busting (1973), The Hindenburg (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). He died in Sacramento, California in 1995, aged 72.

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968 8.0

as Dr. Heywood Floyd

Age 46 (now 72)

Gorgo

1961 5.3

as Sam Slade

Age 39 (now 72)

Devil Doll

1964 4.7

as Mark English

Age 42 (now 72)

Devils of Darkness

1965 5.2

as Paul Baxter

Age 43 (now 72)

Ring of Spies

1964 7.0

as Gordon Lonsdale

Age 42 (now 72)

Portrait of Alison

1955 6.3

as Dave Forrester

Age 33 (now 72)

Offbeat

1961 6.2

as Layton / Steve Ross

Age 38 (now 72)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

1973 6.0

as Tom Henderson

Age 51 (now 72)

Busting

1974 6.2

as Mr. Weldman

Age 52 (now 72)

The Stranger Came Home

1954 5.5

as Philip Vickers

Age 32 (now 72)

High Tide at Noon

1957 6.2

as Alec Douglas

Age 35 (now 72)

The Six Million Dollar Man

1974 7.3

as Admiral Prescott

Age 51 (now 72) 3 eps

3 eps

House of Blackmail

1953 6.4

as Jimmy

Age 31 (now 72)

Riding with Death

1976 2.9

as Leonard Driscoll

Age 53 (now 72)

Quincy, M.E.

1976 7.5

as Joe Crawford

Age 54 (now 72) 4 eps

4 eps

Dublin Nightmare

1958 6.6

as John Kevin

Age 36 (now 72)

The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'

2013 7.0

as Sam Slade (archive footage)

Age 91 (now 72)

2001: The Making of a Myth

2001 6.6

as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited)

Age 78 (now 72)

Roger Moore: A Matter of Class

1995 7.7

as Self (archive footage)

Age 73 (now 72)

First Family

1980 3.7

as TV Commentator Howard

Age 58 (now 72)

Heaven Can Wait

1978 6.6

as Nuclear Reporter

Age 56 (now 72)

Riding with Death

1976 2.9

as Leonard Driscoll

Age 53 (now 72)

The Hindenburg

1975 6.3

as Luftwaffe Colonel

Age 53 (now 72)

Busting

1974 6.2

as Mr. Weldman

Age 52 (now 72)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

1973 6.0

as Tom Henderson

Age 51 (now 72)

The Lawyer

1970 5.9

as Paul Harrison

Age 48 (now 72)

The Challengers

1970 7.0

as Brad York

Age 48 (now 72)

The Syndicate

1968 5.5

as Burt Hickey

Age 46 (now 72)

The Hand of Night

1968 5.2

as Paul Carver

Age 46 (now 72)